Domestic Disputes
by The Assassin's Son
Summary: Alec is confronted by a very conflicting dilemma, one he's never faced before in his time as a Shadowhunter... whether he should go to a party with Magnus, where it will most likely be loud with obnoxious downworlders. Magnus sighed. "Such an introvert you are, my love." One-shot, post-COHF.


_A/N: Since this is Fanfiction, is there much need to establish the fact that all characters... pretty much everything sans plot line belongs to Clare? Well, in any case: No copyright going on here. All characters belong to Clare. This is just a little something I wrote in my free time._

 _It would be very kind of you to drop in a review, and possibly click on that Follow/Fav button._

 _Enjoy :D_

* * *

"I just don't see what the big deal is."

"You're right, you really don't."

Magnus gave Alec an exasperated look, growing tired from their little argument. Katarina Loss was hosting a little party at one of her downtown lofts, which, to cut it short, meant drinking, loud chatter, and basically anything that didn't account for Alec's taste. Said shadowhunter, not to the warlock's surprise, denied the invite and opted for a more quiet night in at his apartment. Or, would you rather, their apartment. The couple had finally decided to move in together a few months after the events of Sebastian and the Endarkened. So far it had been pure bliss between the two, which is exactly what they needed, but at the current moment, not so much.

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood, why must you be so cute, and yet so irritatingly stubborn?" Asked Magnus, flopping down on his sofa right opposite him.

Alec was seated on the recliner with his feet up, trying to relax from a busy day at the Institute, but clearly failing. He frowned. "I'm not being stubborn. I just don't feel like going out tonight."

"You don't feel like going out on any night." Magnus replied incredulously. "Would it be so much to ask of this? It's only for a few hours, and you don't even need to make any small talk with anyone. You can be with me the whole time."

The shadowhunter grumbled and stood up, abandoning all attempts in trying to relax. Instead, he walked over to the sofa and sat down beside his boyfriend, choosing to play with his spiked up hair instead. "Can't you just not go? I'm sure Katarina will understand you wanting to stay here."

"She would, but I actually do want to go, you see? It's been a while since I've done some mingling among my kind."

"Then just go without me."

"Darling, without you it's no fun."

Alec stared. "Then, I don't know, stay home! Look, I know I'm being difficult right now, but can you please just respect me wanting to stay here? I promise I'll make it up to you."

Magnus kept silent for a moment, giving thought to Alec calling his apartment home now. Although, now that he was officially moved in, he supposed home was the right thing to call it, but still. It was nice to hear the words roll out of his tongue so naturally. He smiled softly. "Of course I can respect that."

Alec returned his smile with one of his own and leaned in, bringing his hands from his hair to his neck, pressing a gentle kiss to lips. It was soft but long, simple but passionate. Magnus shifted his body sideways to gain easier access to him, snaking his arm around his waist and pulling him closer, using his other hand to caress his face. When they pulled apart, the warlock stared intensely into the shadowhunter's eyes, noticing with devilish glee that his pupils had dilated, the blue a very thin band around his dark irises.

Alec immediately checked his watch and grinned suggestively. "You know, you have about two hours before you leave." He brought his hands back to Magnus' hair. "What do you say we make the best of it?"

The other man found that he couldn't argue with him on that and simply chuckled, picking the shadowhunter up off the couch and carrying him to their bedroom.

* * *

"Don't you look good." Commented Alec.

Magnus gave his boyfriend a sly grin before fastening the buttons of his dark waistcoat. Under that he wore one of his crisp white dress shirts, and to top it off, an obsidian black trench coat. He even threw in a white scarf to match the attire.

"You know, maybe you should stay home with me." The shadowhunter said, marvelling over the sight of Magnus, much to the warlock's satisfaction. "We can take turns taking off every item of your clothes."

"As promising as that sounds I think I'll take the party instead." Replied the warlock. "Speaking of which, it's not too late to change your decision."

"Well as promising as _that_ sounds, I think _I'll_ take home instead."

Magnus sighed. "Such an introvert you are, my love."

Alec shrugged impishly and pulled Magnus in by the collar of his trench coat, giving him a chaste kiss. "Have fun okay?"

"Won't be as fun as I would like it to be." He muttered.

"That's the spirit; now get out and get your warlock on."

Magnus laughed full-heartedly at this and walked toward the door. "My warlock is always on, Alexander." He replied before flashing Alec a wink and leaving.

Alec sighed inwardly and roamed around their apartment for a bit, unsure of what to exactly do now that he was all alone. He considered calling Jace, but figured the blonde was probably up to no good with Clary. He even cancelled chancing a visit to the Institute for the sake of keeping himself occupied, but ultimately knew that since the fall of Sebastian, not a lot had to be carried out. Even his mom, Marsye, was beginning to loosen the reigns over the Institute now days, and for that, Alec couldn't be more happy. It meant that things were finally looking up.

A few involuntary rearrangements regarding magazines and the sweeping of glitter around the living room rendered the shadowhunter bereft of work, subsequently realising that he had made absolutely no plans for the evening. He figured that after their little shameless antics in the bedroom, Magnus would have the presence of mind to cancel his outing at Loss' party and stay home with him. Unfortunately, things didn't go out quite as planned; at least after the sex that was.

With nothing more to be done, Alec sauntered into their bedroom and threw himself on the bed. Chairman Meow was seated beside the window overlooking Manhattan, the lights of many buildings a blanket of stars against the dark of night. He wondered if the view looked this good from Katarina's party downtown, and if Magnus would enjoy it without him. In hindsight, he may have told his boyfriend to have fun, but really, was hoping he kind of wouldn't. Call him whatever you want, but Alec couldn't help but, at the very least, hope that Magnus wouldn't have the best time, not without him. And this only pointed out to the fact that him not wanting to simply shut up and go with Magnus like a good boyfriend casted him in a bad light. If he didn't want to have fun, he had no right to hope his boyfriend wouldn't either.

"How did we get ourselves into this?" Alec pondered glumly to himself.

Maybe going out with Magnus to Katarina's party wouldn't be such bad thing, and maybe it would be just what he would need.

Chairman Meow purred softly by the window before jumping down onto the floor, regarding Alec with an impassive stare, eyes as similar to those of Magnus'. The cat then trailed out of the room, leaving the shadowhunter – he noted with dismay – now completely alone. As if he wasn't feeling alone this whole damn time. Alec shifted across the bed so he was lying on his side, turning away from the window. He wondered if, at this very moment, his boyfriend was thinking about him, wishing he was with him, or changing his mind about going to the party and coming back home. These were the thoughts that swirled through Alec's mind as his eyes grew heavy, and sleep pulled him under.

He must not have dozed off for that long, because when Alec woke up he was aware of two things: one, the clock read 9:35pm, which meant Magnus left about an hour ago. Two, his phone was ringing. The shadowhunter pulled himself off the bed and ambled on into the living room, where he picked up his phone, checked his caller ID and found with delight that it was the warlock in question. Maybe to tell him how boring it was without him.

Alec put the phone to his ear. "Hey."

 _"Hello, love."_ Magnus greeted. _"I take it things are going well back home? You're not getting bored?"_

"Not in the least." Liar. "How are things at Katarina's?"

 _"Well one vampire just got drunk off too much alcohol and took a dive into her pool. And now Katarina is giving him the heat. Poor man. I can't even imagine how it must be to endure so much yelling whilst under a hangover."_

Alec chuckled and sat down on the recliner. "Yeah, me too."

 _"Otherwise, I'd say it's pretty nice. Of course, it's not nearly as fun without you here, but alas, such is life."_

The shadowhunter gave an incredulous laugh. "Stop acting so melodramatic. You act like I'm ditching you at prom."

He could practically hear the mischievous grin on the other line. _"Oh Alexander, if this was prom and you would stand me up, I'd simply drop in a visit and light your house on fire."_

Alec grinned. "And how would you know I'd even ask you? I could just ask someone else you know, like maybe Jace."

 _"Darling, I think we can both agree that Jace would dump you on the spot. I'm more you game, wouldn't you say?"_

"But what if he said yes?"

 _"Then I would cut off all his hair and light_ him _on fire."_

At this, Alec genuinely laughed- something not many people could make him do. "Jace would probably make a remark saying he'd still look better than us."

Magnus chuckled quietly on the other line. _"The way I see it, you look better than anyone."_

Alec stayed silent for a minute. How was he supposed to respond to that? It was bad enough that he was too much of an ass to do one little thing and go with his boyfriend to a party, but to have said boyfriend compliment him after that?

There was a faint commotion on the other line, and through it Alec could hear a shriek.

 _"By the Angel, one of the fairies just threw up all over a werewolf's dress. I should probably check this out, but I'll see you when I get back, okay?"_

"Yeah, okay." Came the shadowhunter's silent response.

 _"Goodbye then."_

"Bye."

And he hung up.

* * *

It was around 10:20 pm that Alec started to regret his decision about staying home. For the past half hour he had nothing more to do than flick through channels on TV, none of which grabbed his attention. Then, in desperate attempt to kill more time, he actually did call Jace. And Isabelle. And Marsye. Even Simon. But much to his predictions, they were all busy having fun.

Now he realised that maybe he should've gone with Magnus, that maybe staying home was the wrong decision. Moreover, simply going with him was just what he needed. His boyfriend only asked for one thing; he rarely did that. So who was he to deny him?

Finally making his decision, Alec jogged into their bedroom and walked straight to the closet, opening it and examining what clothes would qualify as formal enough for a downworlder party. He had a few of his own belongings that fit the situation, but leave it to Magnus to give an assortment of scarves, dress shirts, trousers, waistcoats, shoes, jackets, trench coats; the whole lot. Alec wasn't much of a fashion expert, by most standards. But he was confident that a dark grey coat over a white dress shirt, a navy blue tie and black trousers would at least compliment his eye colour. And the Angel knew just how much Magnus was a sucker for his eyes. Feeling assured of himself, Alec put on his formal shoes, grabbed his phone, locked the door to their apartment and set out into the cool Manhattan night.

Magnus had pointed out to him that the party was being held at one of Katarina's downtown lofts, which was located near the terminals. From where he walked along the sidewalks of the city, the sky was nearly pitch black outside, save for the fabricated stars twinkling in their patterns. The winds weren't too heavy either, albeit for recoiling back and blowing against his dark hair. Alec assumed it would be unnecessary to take any sort of transport since the party wasn't that far. Even teleporting himself just seemed lazy. It was just a little bit nicer enjoying the view of Manhattan in her nightly state. Buildings were clustered here and there, sparkling off lights into the dark sky. Cars and various other vehicles honked in the distance, and many citizens bustled about each other, enjoying the night out with friends and family. This, Alec noted with slight interest, added to the tumultuous activity of the city life. It wasn't something he often regarded with keen speculation, but he supposed after the war with the Endarkened and almost losing Magnus, he began to point out the different things all around him that gave a sense of familiarity and comfort; things that he normally overlooked or ignored; things that fed him security. And the late night rush of Manhattan was definitely one of them amongst a million others.

As he reached the end of one corner, he turned left onto the next, passing by different shops with a few people in them. Over here it was quieter, the sight of cars and pedestrians passing by lessening as he strode down the alleyway and neared the terminals, the waters calm and silent. Near the terminals toward the north of the shops and apartments was an abandoned boathouse. Its windows were boarded up, but through small gaps darkness could be seen. The entire house spoke of old age and clear yet ubiquitous abandonment. Alec had to give Katarina some credit; it was a very powerful glamour. It could've fooled him if he didn't see a ripple in the air in front of the wooden door. Alec walked closer, and this time the ripple vibrated and shifted until the glamour dissipated and what stood in front of Alec was a moderately big two-storey mansion. In the dark of the sky above, the architecture of the mansion gleamed an iridescent white, the lights inside giving away to the many downworlders mingling to and fro. The doors were open, so he didn't find it hard to walk in and notice the grand staircase spiralling in front of him. Various faeries and vampires consulted nonchalantly with each other; all dressed pretty fancy for the shadowhunter's taste. On the left, he spotted the lush maroon sofas lined against one wall of what must have been the den. The walls were teak, and the entire room was bathed in various gold lights floating at different corners. Alec sauntered inside it, craning his neck to spot a familiar, cat-eyed warlock in black and white clothing, but to no avail did he find him. Although in here were a couple of werewolves casting suggestive – maybe flirtatious – eyes at him, the only shadowhunter at a downworlder party. Feeling uncomfortable at the stares, Alec made to leave the den, but not before bumping into a reasonably muscular werewolf, his eyes a dark brown as he stared at Alec in surprise – clearly not expecting his kind to be here – and then shifting to attraction.

"Well hello there." He greeted, his voice gruff but firm, slightly accented toward Australian, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "What's a fine shadowhunter like you doing in a place like this?"

Alec gulped. Already he didn't like where this was going. "My umm- I'm looking for someone." He stammered.

The werewolf raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I bet you are. Mind if I help?"

"I don't think I need help, but thanks anyway."

"That's alright. Maybe instead I could get you a drink." The werewolf stepped closer. "You look like you need to loosen up a bit."

Alec stepped back. "I don't drink that much, honestly." He hesitated, looking around for any sort of escape route, but much to his dismay, didn't find one. "I should probably head out."

He moved away from the werewolf and was about to make his way out of the den, when suddenly a firm hand gripped his left arm, pulling him back. Alec almost stumbled on impact, but managed to save the fall with his quick feet. He looked in front of him and found that the downworlder was the one gripping his arm like iron.

He smiled a suggestive, devious smile. "You just got here; it would be rude of me to not" he eyed Alec up and down, "entertain you."

The shadowhunter wished that he brought his stele, and silently chided himself for forgetting it. Things had been so peaceful these past months that he barely needed to use it. But without it now, and certainly without any weapon, he was going to have to force himself out of the werewolf's grip. The downworlder may have been dressed nicely – a black waistcoat over a red dress shirt – but that was as far as Alec complemented him. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing charming about the man; certainly not his eyes that held his gaze, his dark smile and his grip that was beginning to tighten on his arm.

"Let go of me." Alec spoke resolutely, pulling his arm free from the werewolf with force.

The downworlder's smile just widened. "Oh, I think you should definitely stay."

Before Alec could do anything else, a firm, familiar voice spoke behind him. "Liam, why might ask were you manhandling my boyfriend?"

The shadowhunter turned around and found, much to his evident relief, Magnus with his cat eyes fixed coldly on the werewolf, Liam.

"I'd hardly call it manhandling, mate." Spoke the downworlder. "I was just offering him a drink."

In response, the warlock stepped closer and narrowed his pupil-slit eyes on Liam; a stare that even made Alec shiver. "Offer him anything else ever again, and I will personally see to it that your claws be ripped off your fingers while you watch. Understand?"

Alec turned and found Liam staring at Magnus with wide eyes. "My apologies then." He flicked his eyes to Alec and then back. "I'll leave you to your boyfriend." And he walked away.

The shadowhunter looked at the warlock, impressed by his eminent show of silent anger. Magnus' eyes followed the werewolf leaving the room and then brought his gaze to Alec. This time, his eyes shifted from coldness to surprise. "Alexander, what are you doing here? I thought you were at home."

Despite himself, Alec smiled a tiny bit. "I was, until I realised that spending time with you totally beats staying home alone with a cat."

The warlock grinned in response. "Chairman Meow does often show a boring mood doesn't he? And I take it that you've finally come to your senses?"

The shadowhunter laughed. "Yes, Magnus Bane. I, Alec Lightwood, was wrong about not going with you. Can you forgive me?"

Magnus stepped forward and closed the gap between them with a soft kiss to his lips. It was sweet and not too terribly long that it evoked the stares of many downworlders watching them. When they pulled apart, he grinned even more. "I think I can forgive you." He interlocked his arms with Alec's. "Now what do you say I show you off to some old friends of mine? And maybe later I can take you back to our apartment, and then we both can take turns taking off each other's clothes."

Alec nodded at the suggestion, still smiling. "I like your idea. Let's do it."

And they walked out of the den; arm in arm into the rest of the party, happy and content.

* * *

 _A/N: Reviews much appreciated folks :) It's my first ever Malec fic, so there you go._


End file.
